That's Latin for Buyer Beware. I know I sound like a broken record talking about this (do you know what a broken record is? Back in the 1940s we listened to music on vinyl, and the needle would get stuck at some point on the vinyl and play the same part over and over. If that still sounds too bizarre, just think of "I hate to sound like a breakbeat"), but gather as much information as you can about the sound card and software you want to use. Be sure they will work, and change one or the other if people are having mucho problems with a config similar to yours. Don't fall in love with some little feature unless you are absolutely positive you can't live without it. PCs can do amazing things with sound these days, and reasonably priced host systems get closer to producing professional results every day. With a little help, they already can get incredible results. But poorly written, buggy drivers will have you swearing more than singing. In other words, do your homework.

Although I am solely responsible for any stupid mistakes in the above article, I want to spread around a little of the credit for the stuff I got right. Volker Hinz of Native Instruments generously gave me some time over lunch at the Frankfurt Musikmesse to help with the specifics of the Microsoft drivers. Props to Voelker.

Thad Brown
Contributing Editor